We have had a BK Sirocco 30 for 3 years and have always had a distinct smell when we turn it down low. After 2 years talking (complaining) to the dealer/installer, moisture testing every piece of wood, replacing the door seal, extending the flue, resealing the flue-fire join, a new unit was installed. The replacement has allowed us to control the heat slightly better but still smells if down low (4 o'clock or lower on t'stat). If we put our noses close to the unit when we first notice the smell we can detect it mostly through the thermometer hole. This seems the most likely place that air can escape, but theoretically if the cat is doing its job the only thing moving through there is water vapour, right? The cat always looks to be glowing and active when we're getting the smell. The upshot is we can never get an overnight burn because we can't turn it down low enough to last all night. I wonder how many other people's observations and troubleshooting matches our experience and if we should all be letting BK know the extent of the issue. Our fire is located in the lowest point in our house (2-storey and also 2 steps down to living room) and I wonder if this affects how much the smell moves upwards. Any confirmation or further advice much appreciated.
Blaze King Ashford 30 smoke smell on low
- Thread starter lmw77
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This comes up occasionally. It has been reported several times and may be related to the door gasket getting saturated with smoke and creosote during a low burn. Or the door gasket may not be centered on the knife-edge seal. BKVP will be catching this soon. Moving to a new thread.
This thread may be helpful.
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Blaze king Ashford 30.2 smoke smell problem
I'll preface this by saying I am running a substandard chimney setup that involves a wall pass through into an insulated liner inside an exterior masonry chimney. Total height is 12' from stove top, so it's still too short but I don't have a reasonable way to improve this without a lot more...
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
Another theory was that some of the taller chimneys were creating sufficient air velocity at the air wash (above door) to create a localized high-pressure zone in that area. Very interesting, and seems possible.
But if the smell is acrid old creo smell, then I like your saturated gasket theory better. My gasket definitely gets caked with creo at the lower edge of the door, in the stove that I run on 24 hour cycles. That stove also has a shorter chimney, and it is the only one of the pair I own that has ever made any smell. It has only happened 2x or 3x in 7 years but there have been just a few times that I've smelled something in the room where that stove sits.
The stove on the taller chimney is run on 24 hour cycles, and never smells, although I also keep a key damper cranked down to negate the tall chimney effect.
But if the smell is acrid old creo smell, then I like your saturated gasket theory better. My gasket definitely gets caked with creo at the lower edge of the door, in the stove that I run on 24 hour cycles. That stove also has a shorter chimney, and it is the only one of the pair I own that has ever made any smell. It has only happened 2x or 3x in 7 years but there have been just a few times that I've smelled something in the room where that stove sits.
The stove on the taller chimney is run on 24 hour cycles, and never smells, although I also keep a key damper cranked down to negate the tall chimney effect.
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
@BKVP I posted in the other thread but it seems like this is more similar to my issues.
I have literally the exact same issue and just replaced my door gasket and used shims as per the guide posted here - i now have a clean door gasket with an extremely even seal all the way around - get great burns and even creosote on the door. However when i turn the temp down like you past 3 o clock or so i get a smoke smell. Also seems to come from the thermometer hole.
When i take my thermometer out it is completely black with creosote at the end of the year. Im pretty sure its coming through there.
I have literally the exact same issue and just replaced my door gasket and used shims as per the guide posted here - i now have a clean door gasket with an extremely even seal all the way around - get great burns and even creosote on the door. However when i turn the temp down like you past 3 o clock or so i get a smoke smell. Also seems to come from the thermometer hole.
When i take my thermometer out it is completely black with creosote at the end of the year. Im pretty sure its coming through there.
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
Can you get a photo? The thermometer probe should stay fairly clean, as it's directly in the air wash from the cat combustor. Each of mine have only ever shown a very slight deposits of anything on them. You sure you're not running with a stalled combustor? Does the needle ever hover in the inactive?
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
Yeah, that probe is in the hottest place of the stove. Right next to and downstream of a 1500 degree catalyst! Should be pretty clean. Tan like a spark plug of a well tuned engine.
The smell might feel like it's coming from the probe hole because that probe hole is on top of the stove and any leaks will rise with the heated air on the outside of the stove.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Not saying this is what anyone else is smelling, but I've gotten a creo smell from my stoves on occasion when a little creosote glaze has managed to fall out of the gap between my liner and chimney, and landed on top of the stove. Like heated incense, a surprisingly small flake can be smelled throughout the house. Likewise for anything that lands on the casting directly below the door seal, it's outside the stove although hidden by the door's cast face frame. Keeping everything outside that door gasket clean is key.
